Empowering Women Since 1881

Is AAUW Older Than You Are? Yes, and a Lot of Other Things, Too.

November 29, 2013

When you’ve been around for a while you find that longevity has its perks. You get to brag about all the amazing people you’ve known and helped over the years, and you get to spend a little time reflecting on the historical moments you’ve experienced. So in the spirit of birthday bragging, here’s a list of some of the best things that came around after we did, in 1881.

1. The Eiffel Tower (completed in 1889)

Did you know that the Eiffel Tower, created for the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris, was only meant to last 20 years? We, too, were hoping that the fight for equality wouldn’t need to be around for very long, yet here we are …

2. Ferris Wheels (first built in 1893)

The Americans were not to be outdone by the French. In 1892, the call went out to civil engineers for a structure that would rival the Eiffel Tower at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. That’s how George Ferris ended up building his famous wheel.

3. Radios (invented in 1895)

At the risk of sounding like your grandparents, we admit to being older than the radio. And television. And Facebook.

4. The Lincoln Memorial (completed in 1922)

From our headquarters on I Street NW, which we moved into in 1921, we could almost watch as they finished construction on one of America’s most historic monuments (and our preferred spot for flash mobs).

5. The Hollywood Sign (completed in 1923)

Like us, this West Coast landmark hasn’t always had the same name. The original sign actually spelled out Hollywoodland. It wasn’t until the late 1940s that the sign was changed to its current spelling.

6. The Empire State Building (completed in 1931)

By the time President Herbert Hoover pressed a button in Washington, D.C., to officially turn on the Empire State Building’s lights in 1931, we were already 50 years old and doing amazing things like educating women about cancer.